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Petition of Right
When Charles I asked Parliament to fund the war with Spain, they decided to only grant the funds in he accepted the Petition of Right. This document stated that he could no longer force loans or taxation without the consent of Parliament, no freeman could be imprisoned without cause, and troops could no longer be billeted in private homes.
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Long Parliament
During this time period, Parliament impeached and executed both Strafford (1641) and Laud (1645). Also, Parliament abolished the courts that had enforced the royal policies and the levying of taxes without the consent of Parliament was prohibited. Parliament also resolved that no more than three years could pass between sessions, and that the king could no longer dissolve it without its own consent. -
Militia Ordinance
Charles I created an army outside of London after trying and failing in January 1642 to invade Parliament and arrest some of his opponents. In response, the majority of the House of Commons passed the Militia Ordinance, which gave Parlement the authority to raise its own army to counter that of Charles I.
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Execution of Charles I
After a trial by a special court, Charles I was executed as a public criminal because of his attempts to take advantage of Parliament, both militarily and through his methods of ruling, like raising taxes and imprisoning free men without cause.
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Abolition of the Monarchy
After Charles I was executed, Parliament proceeded to abolish the monarchy, the House of Lords, and the Anglican Church.
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Oliver Cromwell and the Puritan Republic
When Oliver Cromwell took power in Parliament starting in 1649, he became a military dictator. The extreme ways of his puritan republic turned out to be too much for the English people to handle and they quickly got tired of his prohibitions of drunkenness, theatergoing, and dancing. As a result, when Cromwell died in 1660, England restored the monarchy giving it limited power. -
The English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights limited the power of the monarchy, making them subject to law and forcing them to get consent from Parliament for the large majority of their actions. It also stated that Parliament had to be called into session at least once every three years, making it so the monarchy could no longer abolish it for any lengthy period of time.
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